It all started with a mysterious message from “Agent X”:

“Our scientists need your whole family to stop the Muck Monster! She’s learned to harness the power of mother nature and only your superhero family can stop her.”

Well, actually, it all started with a search to salvage Halloween, during this fun stealing pandemic and an email. A very unheroic email (unless being a father is a superpower). I had emailed Vancouver mysteries to find out if their “Heroes and Villains Family Version” mystery would be appropriate for my special needs son, and also to see if they offer a discount for children with special needs.

Tanya, from Vancouver Mysteries (The real hero of this story) contacted me back, very quickly, and let me know that caregivers of special needs children get to accompany their children for free! She then offered to personally host our family, which showed amazing amount of understanding, kindness, and empathy (The true qualities of a Superhero). So we booked a game for the four us and prepared to SAVE THE WORLD!

It began with signing online waivers and coming up with a Superhero Team name. We decided to combine my sons genetic condition (STXBP1) with one of my favourite comics from my youth (The X-Men) and “The STX-Men” were born..

My oldest decided that as a team we would all look the same and we decided to wear our “Spirit Hoods” which I thought we be a great way to also keep warm down on the waterfront. When we arrived we were greeted at the “Flyover Canada” ticket booth (Canada Place) by “Agent X” who explained the urgent situation and how the “Muck Monster” was attacking Vancouver and they needed our team to help stop her!

“Agent X” pumped us up and provided us with much needed tools and allowed us to choose from a number superpowers. Each team member gets one superpower which gets utilized during the game, so each team member has a very important role. After the Briefing Agent X sent us on our way to do what we do best; look like a crazy family running around with fur hoods on screaming about saving the world from the Muck Monster!

Your main tool is a comic book that is broken up into different chapters. For each chapter there is a puzzle, riddle, task to perform or solve. There are also different areas, along the waterfront, that these tasks take place at. These areas are normally important landmarks, located along the waterfront, like the Olympic Cauldron, the Komagata Maru memorial, and the “The Drop” sculpture. It is extremely creative how Vancouver Mysteries works these landmarks into the game and also, as a parent, provides and extra opportunity to give a little background and history to your children about the significance of these places to Vancouver.

As you move from chapter to chapter, you solve each puzzle piece with provided tools such as code wheels, x-ray specs, mirrors, etc… and record your findings in your “Report” page. The tools provide something tactile for children to work with while they use creativity and problem-solving to break each part of the mystery. You also must embrace your imagination as you shut down machines, get attacked by creatures, and move through time!

Obviously I do not want to give away too much of the story; however, I will say that, working together, we did get a perfect score and save the world! There is a fantastic twist to the story though. I guess you’ll have to play to find that out!

The most important part of all of this is that we got to get outside, have fun, and work together as a family to solve problems. The whole adventure took just under two hours, but Vancouver Mysteries will provide you with extra time if you have a hero that needs more time due to mobility.

If your kids are disappointed that they won’t be able to dress up and go trick or treating, this would make an amazing alternative.

Vancouver Mysteries doesn’t just offer adventures for families. They have a whole range of games for Adults as well!

I highly recommend doing this, and right now…

This week Vancouver Mysteries are launching a campaign with FlyOver Canada!! You can buy tickets to the superhero game and the Flyover Halloween experience “HowlOver” at the same time and save money.  Check out details at…

http://www.flyovercanada.com/events/halloween/

http://www.vancouvermysteries.com